> C is a Spartan language, and so should your naming be. Unlike Modula-2 and Pascal programmers, C programmers do not use cute names like ThisVariableIsATemporaryCounter. A C programmer would call that variable "tmp", which is much easier to write, and not the least more difficult to understand.

I recently stumbled upon this challenge where the OP gives a non-golfed reference implementation in C++. This makes it a no-brainer to solve the challenge with C++ by just golfing the reference.
Is it a good idea to ban C++ from that challenge, or the language X from a challenge Y where Y gives ...

Or maybe it's not really a labyrinth, but still.
Rules:
Input is a two-line string, consisting of asterisks, digits (0-9) and latin letters. That string is a labyrinth to walk through. The lines have the equal length.
Output is the number of steps you have to take to exit the string (last step...